Primary Infertility Linked to Earlier Menopause

TUESDAY, June 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Women with primary infertility have an increased risk for early menopause, according to a study published online June 2 in Menopause.

Lillian J. Dyre, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues evaluated the association of age at natural menopause with primary infertility status and infertility type. The analysis included 1,001 women diagnosed with primary infertility and 1,001 age-matched controls.

The researchers found that 461 women with primary infertility and 530 controls had an increased risk for natural menopause, and of these, 340 women with infertility and 346 controls underwent documented natural menopause on review of medical records. When adjusting for body mass index, tobacco use, race, menstrual cycle regularity, and previous contraception use, women with primary infertility had an increased risk for natural menopause (hazard ratio, 1.25) and underwent menopause one year earlier than controls (β = −1.17). Women with primary infertility also were more likely to undergo early menopause (age 40 to 45 years) compared with controls (7.6 versus 3.0 percent). For specific infertility types, women with endometriosis underwent menopause 2.75 years earlier, and women with unexplained infertility underwent menopause 1.45 years earlier.

“Given that early menopause is linked to adverse long-term health consequences, these women may benefit from counseling that they are at risk of early menopause,” Stephanie Faubion, M.D., medical director for The Menopause Society, said in a statement. “This will allow them to monitor for early menopause and to seek treatment with hormone therapy, if indicated.”

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